Young Tourism Export Council of New Zealand

28/05/2026

Are you locked in?
Locked in with your leadership skills, innovating at any given chance, passionate about your mahi, and committed to your professional development through YoungTEC programmes and the wider tourism industry?🙂‍↕️

If you're nodding, then it must mean you're a YoungTEC Rising Star or giving Leadership Development!

The YoungTEC Awards celebrate and recognise emerging talent within New Zealand’s tourism industry, highlighting young professionals who are making an outstanding contribution to the sector and shaping its future.

The awards offer valuable career development opportunities, industry recognition, and the chance to further grow your leadership capability.

The Rising Star Award criteria include:
⭐ Frontline or back office role
⭐ Working in the tourism industry for less than five years
⭐ Have attended a YoungTEC Masterclass series
⭐ And are keen to develop your career in tourism

The Leadership Development Award criteria include:
🎓 Working in the tourism industry for more than three years
🎓 Completed one or more of the YoungTEC Masterclass series
🎓 Completed an Icehouse Leadership Day

If you tick all those boxes, we encourage you to push past the scaries and submit an application.

Applications close on Wednesday, 3 June at 5pm.

Enter the Rising Star Award here 👇
https://lnkd.in/eSNah7Ap
Enter the Leadership Development Award here 👇
https://lnkd.in/eJNU7Stp

Pictured is your Rising Star, Cam Mitchell and Leadership Development, Ryan Wilmshurst, for 2025.

20/05/2026

Christchurch YoungTEC have officially entered the chat 👀

To kick things off, the crew headed up the hill for a four-line zipline mission at Christchurch Adventure Park. Equal parts adrenaline and “why did I agree to this” at the top, followed by plenty of laughs on the way down.

We wrapped things up the right way, with a post-zip debrief over a drink and some tourism chat.

Massive thanks to Callum Lippe and the Christchurch Adventure Park team for hosting us and making our first event one to remember.

We might be a small contingent down here, but we’re just getting started. Already planning the next catch up 👀

If you’ve recently relocated to the city that everyone suddenly wants to live in and haven’t updated your YoungTEC details, consider this your sign. Flick us a message, we’d love to have you at the next one.

29/04/2026

Masterclass is back, baby. 🎓✨

We’re bringing our Masterclass series into 2026 with a fresh twist: a virtual line-up of industry experts from across the tourism export world, now spread across the off-season and perfectly timed for those post-mahi wind-down hours.

First up: Tradeshows 101
🗓 Tuesday, 5 May
⏱️ 4.30 pm

Whether you’re stepping onto the tradeshow floor for the first time or ready to level up your game, this session will have you working the room like a pro.

We’ve got an epic speaker line-up coming your way, packed with insights, practical tips, and tools you can actually use. Think of it as adding a few new tricks to your career kete.

Register here 👇

This year, the Young TEC Masterclass Series will run quarterly, with one virtual session each quarter. Sign up here to receive the Teams link every week to tune into the live session! We're really excited to have an awesome line-up of speakers that we're sure you'll learn lots from and be inspired b...

19/04/2026

The Welly YoungTEC team have been clocked in. 🫡

Catching up over kai and drinks is their love language, with an after-work catch-up at Holey Moley and, on another occasion, breaky at Naumi Hotel Wellington.

Reconnecting over a couply beveraginos led to an epic showdown of mini golf at the local entertainment spot in the heart of the CBD. The game came to a tie for first place. Naturally, there was only one way to settle it: a high-stakes game of 📄✂️🪨 to crown the ultimate champion.

Switching gears, the team then kicked off the day with the most important meal of the day: breakfast at Naumi, followed by an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of their rooms. It was great to connect and have a looksie at what it takes to deliver standout hospitality experiences.

Big thanks to those who came along for some great kōrero and connection, and shout out to our hosts who made it happen. 🫶

12/04/2026

Leadership Day 2026 – Registrations now open

Ready to build on your leadership skills and invest in your personal development? YoungTEC Leadership Day is back in Auckland with a fresh new format.

This year, we’re offering two standalone sessions, timed to align with the TEC Trade Event which takes place the following day - perfect if you’re making the trip to Auckland.

📅 Tuesday 21 April
📍 Intrepid Travel Office, 39 Market Place, Auckland

Choose one session or stay for both:
8:30am - Leadership Skills
1:00pm - Personal Development

$50 + GST per session (or $100 + GST for the full day)

Numbers are strictly limited to 25 people per session and spots are first come, first served.

🕒 RSVP by 14th April HERE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdv2jbzUubayQU7m33mPDRw-sk1vgy-rJeGSzor7CRW6PywvA/viewform
Register now to secure your place and make the most of your time in Auckland

Keep an eye out for details on a casual social catch‑up on the evening of 21 April - a great chance to connect with fellow YoungTEC members.

07/04/2026

Ready to glow up your leadership and personal game? ✨

Whether you're moving into your first management role or already leading a team, these sessions cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters: leading yourself well, so you can lead others better.

Expect practical tools, honest insights, and a bit of a confidence boost to take back with you.

This Leadership Day, we’re running things a bit differently. There will be two sessions available. Join us for one session or both, whatever works best for you.

📅 Tuesday 21 April
📍 Intrepid Travel Office, 39 Market Place, Auckland
⌚ 8:30am: Leadership Skills | 1pm: Personal Development
💰 $50 + GST per session

Spots are limited to 25 per session, so if you’re keen, jump on the link in the comments to register.

21/12/2025

How good was YoungTEC Summit 2025 🤩

A big thanks to everyone who attended earlier in the month alongside TEC's Xmas Symposium. It was awesome having so many members from around the motu come together to discuss hot topics in tourism, learn how AI can amplify our capabilities & accelerate our careers, and then tour Tāmaki Makaurau from a fresh perspective.

We loved seeing all the energy, insights, and engagement that's hopefully left everyone feeling inspired heading into peak season!

A special thanks to Rene de Monchy from Tourism New Zealand, Tim Olson from Maverick Tourism, and the teams at TIME Unlimited Tours and Leisure Time Group NZ for your support in making Summit such a success and being such an integral part of the day.

From the YoungTEC Board, have a superb Christmas and we'll see you next year 🎄

18/11/2025

It's time to sign up for YoungTEC Summit 2025!

Join us for a morning of thought-provoking conversation and hands-on exploration. Hear from Tourism New Zealand CEO René de Monchy, dive into the future of AI in tourism, and take part in a unique cultural experience with TIME Unlimited.

Spaces are limited — secure your spot now and be part of the conversation shaping our industry’s future. It's all taking place in Auckland on Wednesday 3 December from 9am-1pm.

Register now 👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKY7QbqTl8liqnt3-NCdwnidEB-eFeotphHFdhDkkHgnIBNw/viewform

28/10/2025

Drumroll please… the results of our YoungTEC Board Election are here - and we are stoked to share we have FIVE fantastic young tourism leaders joining the committee 🎉

While we originally sought four nominees, we received five strong nominations with a broad range of experience and regional representation, so all have been accepted onto the Board. With four members continuing on, a 9-strong Board will help us deliver more exciting programmes in 2026, especially given the record numbers of YoungTEC members right across Aotearoa.

A huge congratulations and warm welcome to Adrian Ashmore, Marie Clarys, Alice Orr, Emma Clarke and Letetia Cheetham - we're really looking forward to the energy and ideas you'll bring to the Board from 1 December.

And a big thank you to Ryan Wilmshurst, Eleri Williams and Emma Canute for your mahi and contributions over the past years as you step down from the committee - kia ora rawa atu 🤝

28/09/2025

All a-Board! Nominations for the 2026 YoungTEC Board are now open 📢

We're looking for 4 extraordinary young tourism leaders to join our Executive Board and help shape the future of our industry!

If you love making connections and are passionate about enriching the next generation of tourism professionals, you'd be a perfect candidate.

It's a voluntary role full of variety, with plenty of opportunities to make your mark, including:

💡 Delivering our popular professional development series like Masterclass and Leadership Day
📆 Facilitating Mentorship programmes and Regional networking events
🤝 Forging cross-industry relationships and partnerships to expand YoungTEC's presence

This is a 12-month commitment running through to September 2026 – a fantastic chance to develop your leadership skills, expand your network, and make a real impact.

As a YoungTEC member, you can be nominated by your peers to join our dynamic team. Reach out to a current Board member for a chat if you're curious at what's involved, or head to https://mailchi.mp/tourismexportcouncil/election2024-17303615 for more details and to download the nomination form.

Nominations close 10 October – don't miss out!⏰